National insurance and research funding
Britain’s National Insurance Act of 1911 provided funds for research connected with tuberculosis and other medical questions. The Medical Research Committee and Advisory Council were established in 1913, organizing their own programmes and supporting investigators in universities, hospitals and other institutions.
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Becoming the council
Postwar administrative reform prompted debate about the relationship between medical research and the health ministry. A Royal Charter dated 1 April 1920 incorporated the Medical Research Council. It retained the predecessor committee’s members and functions while acquiring corporate status and the ability to hold property.
Institutes, units and training
MRC supported research through institutes, specialized units, grants and training. Its central institute opened in 1920 and later became the National Institute for Medical Research. The Laboratory of Molecular Biology, built in Cambridge in 1962, brought together several MRC-supported research groups.